Favourite Artists/Bands?

[Emong]

For some reason this thread is a fun place to consume time...

Ayria



Genre: Electro-Industrial, Futurepop, Synthpop, EBM

Years Active: 2003 - present
Origin: Toronto, Canada

Current Members:
Jennifer Parkin

Albums:
Debris (2003)
Flicker (2005) (favourite!)
Hearts for Bullets (2008)

Ayria, Jennifer's solo project since Epsilon Minus, is one of the pop acts in the industrial scene (though I'm pretty sure hardcore fans of the genre would mostly refuse to categorize her like that) Unlike in many other female fronted industrial projects, she also programs and writes her own music (ever since Debris) Her style has become more agressive since the pop-princess image of Debris but she still manages to come out as a girl who is enjoying her life as it is. Her new album Hearts for Bullets is a dancefloor hit with a wide range of electronic and synth textures, while Flicker stands for a more serious effort with slowly progressing songs and many ballad-like creations. I would recommend Ayria for anyone who is into the mainstream pop scene or synthpop



Collide



Because you can't go wrong with a haircut like that..

Genre: Industrial, Darkwave, Trip-Hop

Years Active: 1992 - present
Origin: Los Angeles, US

Current Members:
kaRIN
Statik

Albums:
Beneath the Skin (1996)
Chasing the Ghost (2000)
Some Kind of Strange (2003)
Two Headed Monster (2008) (favourite!)

Collide has gone the full circle from their early theatrical industrial rock to Chasing the Ghost's trip-hop and darkwave, back to experimental industrial on Some Kind of Strange and finally delivering pretty much all of their earlier styles on Two Headed Monster. Collide has also worked with numerous other artists including Danny Carey from Tool, who played the drums on various tracks on Two Headed Monster and one track on Some Kind of Strange, and Danny garcia from Curve, with whom they also created a side-project called The Secret Meeting. Two Headed Monster is thus far my favourite album of 2008 and one of my favourite albums of all time. Through their whole discography Collide is much defined by Statik's experimental take on electro and industrial and kaRIN's ethereal voice and expressive lyrics and singing, reminding of Portishead or Curve. Recommended for... damn... everyone!

[Kevmaster]

Oh, it surely is.


Nocte Obducta



Genre: Progressive Black Metal
Years active: 1995 - 2008
Origin: Mainz, Germany

Last known line-up:

Torsten, der Unhold (Torsten Hirsch) - Vocals
Marcel Va. Traumschänder (Marcel Breuer) - Guitars, Vocals, Keys
Flange - Keyboard, Vocals
Patrick Baumann - Bass
Stefan - Guitars
Matthias Rodig - Drums

Discography:

1999 - Lethe (Gottverreckte Finsternis)
2000 - Taverne (In Schatten schäbiger Spelunken)
2001 - Schwarzmetall - Ein primitives Zwischenspiel
2002 - Galgendämmerung - Von Nebel, Blut und Totgeburten
2003 - Stille (das nagende Schweigen) [EP]
2004 - Nektar: Teil 1 - Zwölf Monde, Eine Hand voll Träume
2005 - Nektar: Teil 2 - (Seen, Flüsse, Tagebücher) (Favourite!)
2008 - Sequenzen einer Wanderung (Favourite!)


In my opinion, these guys are the top of german black metal. Trademarks are a technical approach combined with very melancholic melodies and highly poetic lyrics as well as many overlength-songs. Without any black metal-typical clichés or massive ideology they found their place in Germany's black metal elite. Last year, in December, Nocte bid farewell to their fans with the beautifully experimental parting gift "Sequenzen einer Wanderung".


Dornenreich



Genre: Avant-Garde/Melodic Black Metal, Neofolk/Ambient
Years active: 1996 - present
Origin: Tyrol, Austria

Current line-up:

Eviga (Jochen Stock) - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Inve (Thomas Riesner) - Violin

Discography:

1997 - Nicht Um Zu Sterben
1999 - Bitter Ist's Dem Tod Zu Dienen (Favourite!)
2001 - Her von welken Nächten
2005 - Hexenwind
2006 - Durch Den Traum
2008 - In Luft geritzt


Dornenreich have gone through a lot of musical changes, starting of as a black metal band, progressing to what the band describes as "a vision beyond (black) metal, neofolk and ambient". Recommended by a friend, this band had my fullest attention right from listening the first few tracks and it didn't take long time till I was in love, fascinated and absorbed by their music.

[Otohiko]

Jan Coo



Genre: Alternative (somewhere between grunge/progressive/psychedelic/trip-hop/IDM)
Years active: 1994 - present
Origin: St. Petersburg, Russia

Current members:

Kseniya Yermakova - Vocals, Flute
Dmitry Yermakov - Guitar
Lev Savranskiy - Bass
Sergei Zhilkin - Drums

Discography:

1996 - Labirint [Labyrinth]
1999 - jan_coo
2000 - Svoboda [Freedom]
2003 - Poslednyaya Kaplya [Final Drop]
2004 - Remixes
2006 - Mezhdu nebom i soboi [Between the sky and self] (DVD)
2007 - Molekuly Mistiky [Molecules of Mystique]

(*I haven't actually made up my mind about favourites yet...)

A truly remarkable and unique St. Petersburg underground rock band, with a hard-to-pin-down sound and downright ear-cutting vocals, which somehow work remarkably well. As I described elsewhere, "Think angry, difficult music with horrid screeching vocals played by a very intelligent band that is extremely stoned any time they're playing." As a critic once described, "Somehow for Jan Coo, a combination of negative elements [i.e. dark, muddy, angry sound; harsh vocals; lyrics that are always going between wallowing in depression and assaulting the audience with anger and mockery; weird production] comes out to a great positive."

[-Jp]

Celldweller, Ill Niño, Linkin Park (before Minutes to Midnight), Norther, Rammstein. To lazy to make information..Look them up yourself.

[Kevmaster]

Celldweller, Ill Niño, Linkin Park (before Minutes to Midnight), Norther, Rammstein. To lazy to make information..Look them up yourself.

I doubt anyone would need to look these bands up.

[Otohiko]

Celldweller, Ill Niño, Linkin Park (before Minutes to Midnight), Norther, Rammstein. To lazy to make information..Look them up yourself.

I doubt anyone would need to look these bands up.

Moar like, too lazy to develop a musical taste, amirite?

[Tono_Fyr]

Celldweller, Ill Niño, Linkin Park (before Minutes to Midnight), Norther, Rammstein. To lazy to make information..Look them up yourself.

I doubt anyone would need to look these bands up.

Moar like, too lazy to develop a musical taste, amirite?

The one that's really out of place is Norther.

Never thought I'd see them on a list like that O.o

[Kevmaster]

Wolves in the Throne Room



Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Years active: 2003–present
Origin: Olympia, Washington, United States

Members:

Nathan Weaver - guitar, vocals
Aaron Weaver - drums
Will Lindsay - guitar
Ross Sewage - bass

Discography:

2006 - Diadem of 12 Stars
2007 - Two Hunters
2009 - Malevolent Grain [EP] (Favourite!)
2009 - Black Cascade

Wolves in the Throne room is an US black metal band influenced by Scandinavian black metal, doom metal, dark ambient, and folk music. The band has described their sound as “purifying black metal” or “transformative black metal”, although in interviews the band has shown an unwillingness to be restricted by any musical label. The band is well known for their eco-spiritual vision, which they consider to be a step beyond the vision offered by satanic, fascistic and nihilistic black metal. They often state that traditional black metal should be seen as a jumping-off point in a process of continual spiritual growth, and not an end unto itself.

[Warheart]

Insomnium



Genre: Melodic Death
Years active: 1997 - present
Origin: Joensuu, Finnland

Members:
* Niilo Sevänen − vocals, bass (also: Watch Me Fall)
* Ville Friman − guitar (also: Arrival, Enter My Silence)
* Ville Vänni − guitar (also: Watch Me Fall, Hateform)
* Marcus Hirvonen − drums

Discography:

Demos:
* Demo '99 (1999)
* Underneath the Moonlit Waves (2002)

Albums:
* In the Halls of Awaiting (2002) (favorite)
* Since the Day it All Came Down (2004)
* Above the Weeping World (2006)
* TBA (Autumn 2009)

Insomnium are influenced by doom metal and older Hard Rock tunes tehir focus mainly lies on playing songs about sorrow, death and loss. They also incorporate elements of northern folk music and symphonic music into their sound.
Since their inception, Insomnium have steadily adopted a new style. Their melodies are highly melancholic, and their overall sound is much darker than their genre comrads. The band's lyrics tend to be influenced (and occasionally taken) from classic poets like Hölderlin, Edgar Allan Poe, Finnish classic Eino Leino and other literature.

Exits:
http://www.insomnium.net/
http://www.myspace.com/insomniumband
http://www.lastfm.de/music/Insomnium

[ihavethedeathnote]

Here is some of my favorite

1. The Devil Wears Prada

Genre: Metalcore, Christian metal
Years active: 2005–present
Origin: Dayton, Ohio

Current Members:
Jeremy DePoyster - guitar, clean vocals
James Baney - keyboard, synth
Mike Hranica - vocals
Andy Trick - bass
Daniel Williams - drums
Chris Rubey - guitar

Discography:
Albums

Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord August
Plagues (Favorite)

Demos
Patterns of a Horizon 2005


2. Chiodos

Genre: Post-hardcore, Experimental Rock
Years active: 2001–present
Origin: Davison, Michigan

Current Members:
Craig Owens
Bradley Bell
Pat McManaman
Matt Goddard
Jason Hale
Derrick Frost

Discography:
Albums
All's Well That Ends Well
Bone Palace Ballet (Favorite)


EPs

The Chiodos Brothers. (acoustic)
The Best Way to Ruin Your Life June
The Heartless Control Everything


3. A Day To Remember

Genre: Post-hardcore, Pop punk, Melodic hardcore, Metalcore
Years active: 2003 - present
Origin: Ocala, Florida

Current Members:
Jeremy Mckinnon - Vocals
Tom Denney - Guitar
Neil Westfall - Guitar
Joshua Woodward - Bass
Alex Shelnutt - Drums

Discography:
Albums
And Their Name Was Treason
For Those Who Have Heart
Homesick